ARCH 0680 at the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown

Ecuador’s government and the Cochabamba Water War

I was looking online at the news, the BBC as usual, and I found this interesting story that reminded me much of the conflict we studied a few weeks back.
A Chinese mining company is planning to operate a large, open-cast copper mine in Ecuador and has received government support for this project. In strong opposition, Conaie, the largest organization of indigenous Ecuadorians, recently began a two-week-long march across the country in protest. The native peoples claim that the mine will result in contaminated groundwater, environmental destruction, and the forced removal of people from their land.
The government has accused the protestors of inciting unwarranted hatred of the government in an attempt to destabilize the country and seize power. Thousands of protesters have also shown up to support the plan, as they believe the country needs to develop alternative sources of employment and revenue to supplement the dominant oil export industry.
This is a hotly contested issue, and there seem to be valid arguments on both sides, but it all depends on what considerations you weigh more heavily. Personally, I do not believe in sacrificing the environment and people’s sources of health and life (fresh water) for an industry that will likely export most of its products and pay low wages to workers.
I think the concern is a legitimate one, and I was wondering what you all thought about it.
See you tomorrow,

One comment on “Ecuador’s government and the Cochabamba Water War”

I think it’s key that one of the names for the march on Quito is the “Plurinational March for the Defense of Water, Life and the Dignity of Communities,” and even the organizaton’s website opens with a picture of water ((http://marchaporlavida.net/english-2/) – and it was consciously scheduled to arrive in Quito on World Water Day (March 22). One of the arguments made, translated from the Mandate for Water, Life and Dignity of Peoples, is that:

“For the Mirador Project (Zamora Chinchipe), which represent approximately twenty billion dollars, only 22 percent will be paid as rent to the state while the remaining 78 percent will go to the multinationals, leaving us also with 681 billion liters of contaminated water.”

I’d say that is a sobering response to President Correa’s insistence that “revenues raised from the mine and similar projects will fund roads, schools and hospitals, and local people will get a share of the money.”